I am working on gears, so this seems like a neat thing to
try. I built a little gearbox into a pinball Mars light base. This first version
uses a drill bit shaft and fingers for motive power. The next one will probably
have a pager motor to drive it, as well as more robust gears and a better
reflector. It will also support a 906 bulb, and be a shade thinner. The whole
thing fits where a pinball Mars light fits today.

Control is another issue. Unlike a flasher, the light
needs to stay on while the reflector rotates. But this is looking quite possible
as an add-on toy. The standard covers may not work as they diffuse the light too
much. I want sweeping beams!

Here's
the gear chamber and gears. These parts sit in a three-layer sandwich.

Here's
the assembly. Exact same footprint as a standard pinball Mars light,
just a little thicker.

Here's
the hand powered version - think of it as slow motion.

And
here it is on a power drill.

Finally
power drill pushing the speed a bit...

New
version with Delrin gears and an independent motor

The
little gear needs work. Too much heat!

Here's
the tiny motor that runs it. A bit fast right now, but electronic speed
control will fix that.